Right off the top, let's start with some things that MirrorLink is NOT:

A device

A way to link your car's mirrors to the backup camera

A mirror-based time-space portal, similar to the Floo Network in Harry Potter books

So what is it then? MirrorLink is:

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A protocol that devices like your smartphone and an in-dash receiver can use to communicate

Invented by the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), established in 2011

The protocol formerly known as Terminal Mode, which sounds kind of, well, fatal

If you've ever cursed your car for not doing all the cool stuff your phone can do, MirrorLink will save your poor car's feelings from your terrible wrath. It will not, however, allow you to drive your Android to the store for the milk you forgot to pick up on your way home. Maybe next time, MirrorLink. Maybe next time.